Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic. (Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports)
Dallas star Luka Doncic is healing up from his calf injury but his availability for Game 3 has been determined and it’s not good news for the Mavericks.
Luka Doncic is getting closer and closer to a return for the Mavericks but fans in Dallas will have to wait a little longer to get their star back.
Doncic told ESPN he was “feeling great,” after a workout on Thursday. That hasn’t equated to being available to face the Jazz though.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the All-Star has been ruled out for Game 3 in Salt Lake City.
Luka Doncic injury update: Mavericks star ruled out for Game 3
Doncic went down in the regular-season finale with a calf strain and has missed the first two games of the playoffs. Without their star player, the Mavericks have gone 1-1. While it was certainly disappointing to lose a game on their home floor, making it through the first two games with a split was still a decent outcome for the team.
The goal now is to fight as hard as possible to keep things close until Doncic can return.
He was a full participant in practice on Wednesday, so clearly he’s close.
At this rate, he could be in line to make his playoff debut on Saturday in Game 4. However, that all depends on how he continues to progress and whether or not there are any setbacks in his recovery.
Dallas rode 41 points from Jalen Brunson to a Game 2 victory. Another big performance from him could be just what the team needs to take control of the series.
Doncic averaged 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists during the regular season.